At 6'5" and 234lbs Chirs Therien is not easy to miss when he steps on to the ice. The Ottawa native played with the Ottawa Jr. Senators of the CJHL for two years before attending Northwood Prep High School in 1989-90.

Chosen 47th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft before attending Providence College for three years. His finest year with the Friars was 1992-93 when he was a pillar on the team's defence and named to the Hockey East Second All-Star Team. After graduating, he joined the Canadian national team and participated at the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics.

During the owner's lockout, Therien worked on his game with the AHL's Hershey Bears before joining Philly when the NHL season resumed. He was a solid physical addition to the club and helped the Flyers reach the Eastern Conference final. Therien's solid work earned him a place on the NHL's All-Rookie team. The big defender helped the club reach the Stanley Cup finals in 1997, and continued to be one of the Flyers more durable players on the blueline surpassing the 600-game mark during the 2002-03 season.

Following parts of ten seasons in the Flyers organization, Therien was dealt to the Dallas Stars in the latter stages of the 2003-04 season before returning to the Flyers in the summer of 2005.